Pirates Of The Caribbean: At Worlds End
by aPIRATEZxlife4me
Summary: Secret alliances, stolen hearts, broken compasses, and a fight against time to save Jack's soul all lead up to the biggest battle the former crew of the Black Pearl has had to face yet. This is my rendition of the third POTC.
1. Prologue

**Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End **

**Prologue**

What remained of the Black Pearl's crew stared up in shock at Barbossa. "Now, who's going to tell me what happened to my ship?"

Everyone glanced at one another, with a mix of shock and fear. Shock because this guy was dead, and fear because of his reaction to learning about what happened to the Black Pearl.

Will's hand had slowly moved to the hilt of his sword, and just as he clasped it, Barbossa shot him a very annoyed look, "It won't do you any good. Blasted monkey ruined my plans."

Everyone gave Barbossa confused looks.

"You tell me what happened to my ship, and I'll tell you what happened to me." he signed, rolling his eyes.

"Well, you might need to sit down. And have some rum." Gibbs warned. Barbossa raised an annoyed eyebrow at him and he continued, "Jack had a debt to be paid to Davey Jones, as you probably know. And…he happened to be on the ship when the debt was repaid."

"The Kraken ate him, as well as the precious Black Pearl." Will spat. Elizabeth glanced at him, shocked at his tone of voice, but no one else seemed to notice.

"Hmm…that's unfortunate." Barbossa commented as he stroked his beard. "Looks like we be needing a ship!"

"And an explanation!" Elizabeth cut in. "We all saw you die, so why are you still here?"

"The monkey got one of those pieces of gold, stuck it right in my hand he did. I'm immortal again. But, Tia-Dalma here made it a little more bearable. Actually, she's been taking the immortality out of me. Just a few more swigs of this potion here, and I'll be back to normal. I can taste and feel, and I got burnt the other night." Barbossa explained, showing them a red mark on his hand.

"Do you still gets all skeleton-y under the moonlight?" Ragetti dared to asked.

"No, that small part of the curse never returned, thankfully." Barbossa said, with a smirk on his face. "Now that you all have your explanations, all hands on deck!"

Ragetti and Pintel scrambled over one another to get there first, then when both Gibbs and Barbossa sighed, the realized the current problem. "We don't gots a deck for our hands to be on." Pintel pointed out.

"Which is why we be taking the longboats to Tortuga and borrowing a ship that be there." Gibbs suggested.

"Or, you could take my boat. 'Tis quite de good boat." Tia-Dalma's thick Jamaican accent cut through the confusion.

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Barbossa said, and began towards the door.

"Why are you helping us find Jack?" Will asked, stepping in front of Barbossa.

"Reconciliation. If I'm going to die, I might as well do so with fewer enemies." he answered simply.

"Makes sense." Ragetti observed.

"Let's just trust him and go. I feel sick as it is." Elizabeth said irritably. Will shot a jealous glance in her direction and then followed everyone out to see their new boat.

The graveyard was filled with at least a hundred people all dressed in black for the procession. It was all roses, black dresses, and no teary eyes.

"It is to my sorrow to announce the death of former Governer Swann. It seems that he has died of an entirely unknown illness, and has left all his possessions, and power, to Lord Cutler Bennett, the person closest to him at death. Unfortunately his daughter, Elizabeth Swann, was unable to be at his deathbed and also unable to attend the funeral. Our best wishes to his departed spirit, and he will be dearly missed." the announcer said, before turning the funeral over to the priest.

"Such a shame, he was a good man." one woman murmured.

"His little daughter was whoring with the blacksmith, did you hear?" another added.

"A disgrace to his name, really." a man added.

"Such a good man."

The service ended and slowly the graveyard emptied until it was just the former Commodore Norrington and Lord Bennett.

"I am very sorry it had to come to that." Bennett said, not sounding the least bit sincere.

"I loved that man like he was my own father. And his daughter even more so. Do you hear what the townspeople say about her?" Norrington sighed.

"And you're saying it wasn't true?" Bennett replied. Norrington raised an annoyed eyebrow at Bennett.

"Positive." he spat, before looking down at the grave.

"Are you ready for your job, or do you need time to mourn over this old man's death?" Bennett said. He really is emotionless, Norrington mused.

"I'll be ready by weeks end." he answered.

"Come by on Friday morning, and I'll give you the plans." Bennett said, before turning and leaving Norrington to stand alone at the grave.

Norrington knelt down, one knee on the fresh dirt. He placed a hand on top of the gravestone and murmured his apologies before turning to go.


	2. Chapter One

_A/N: i really really love reviews, and even constructive criticism is okay. if im going to continue this story, i want to know that people are actually reading it. thanks_

**Chapter One**

"How long does she expect to stay here?" David asked quietly.

"She's my sister, she can stay as long as she pleases." Sarah returned.

"She should live on the streets. That's what a pirate like her deserves." he replied, practically spitting the word pirate.

Ana Marie sat at the top of the stairs, listening to the conversation between her sister and her husband. She had only been here for a week and already they were pushing her out. It was to be expected. It came with the job description. Unfortunately, she now found herself quite poor and withno one to take her in. Because of course women bring bad luck to the ship. If only she hadn't jumped at that chance to get off the Black Pearl. And away from Captain Jack Sparrow.

Captain Sparrow.

She hadn't thought of him in quite a while, and the thought was dismissed as quickly as it came. She leaned against the wall and went back to listening to the conversation.

"I don't care what you say, I won't have a pirate living under my roof!" David exclaimed.

"Well, then maybe you picked the wrong town to be living in." Sarah pointed out. Ana Marie couldn't help but chuckle quietly. She did have a point. If you ask for a definition of Pirate, one answer would be Tortuga. As the argument grew, Ana no longer felt comfortable listening in. She went up to her room and sat in the window. It was a beautiful view, she understood why they picked this house to live in.

Straight out there was a cliff that dropped down to one of the many ports. But from the window, all she could see was the cliff and then the ocean, stretching out forever. The moon was a deep orange, almost red color, and the bottom was grazing the water.

"Bad luck for sailors." she found herself muttering. A cool breeze played with her dark hair and she tucked it behind her ear. She gave one last glance to the ocean and then got into bed, trying not to worry too much about her sister and her own lack of job.

.x.

The afternoon sunlight poured onto Ana Marie's face and she was more than a little surprised that she had slept in that late. She tied a bandana around her head and quickly rushed downstairs. Any sensible Captain doesn't try to find work at night. Sensible was definitely the keyword. She remembered Captain Jack's tactics and cringed.Thesensiblecaptainsall work during the day, so as to avoid drunks. It was hard enough to get a job as a woman, but if she was trying at the wrong time, absolutely no one would take her seriously.

She grabbed her hat on the way out the door, and walked quickly to the nearest pub. It was dark with only a few beams of light shining through the windows and door. Most of the chairs were up on their tables, but there were a few men sitting on barstools.

"Has anyone stopped in here looking for pirates?" she asked the bartender anxiously.

"Nope, not today little lass." the bartender told her. She plopped down on a barstool and stared at the bar glumly. "Want some rum to cheer yeh up?"

"No thanks. I want to be thinking clearly. I need to get a job before…" Ana Marie started, but decided there was no point in telling him her sob-story. "Never mind."

"Let me get this straight. A pretty girl like you is looking for a job as a pirate?" he asked.

"Yeah…well, I suppose any job would be nice, but I love the sea." she explained.

"Ah, well, I could get yeh a job here. Just for the time being. You meet some interesting characters working here." he gave a warm smile and a wink.

"What kind of job?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Nothing bad, now don't give me that look. I'm not try ta make yeh a whore. Just a job serving drinks and such at night. It gets pretty crazy and I only have one other girl working. T'would be quite helpful, if yer interested."

"Actually…I think I am. When do I start?" Ana Marie asked.

"How about tomorrow night, sound good? It's going ta be tough, seeing as how you'll be nocturnal more or less, but I think yeh can handle it." he smiled.

"Thanks so much for this. Oh, and before I forget…any pirates that need help onboard…tell them about me, please?"

"Will do. See yeh tomorrow night." he said, and went back to washing the bar and serving drinks. Ana Marie tipped her hat at him and rushed back to her sister's to tell her the good news.

.x.

"Well, everyone, Ana Marie has someamazing news!" Sarah announced at the dinner table. Everyone looked at Ana Marie expectantly.

"I've found a job." Ana Marie announced, beaming.

"A ship finally took you on? You get to pilfer and plunder and…and ravage and loot?" William, Sarah's thirteen year old son, asked.

"Not quite." Sarah laughed.

"I'm helping at a local pub. Just down the street. But I'm sure I'll meet enough pirates there." Ana Marie explained.

"Did you meet any today?" Anne asked. She was one of the twins. There was Anne and Maria; loosely named after Ana Marie herself.

"No, not today. But just you wait, I'll have stories to tell." she smiled.

.x.

Ana Marie had promised herself to stay awake all night, and not rest until the first beams of sunlight appeared over the horizon. She did everything she could to keep herself distracted. First she went to a few pubs hoping to see a familiar face, but to no avail. Afterwards she practiced her sword fighting. The night went by more quickly then she expected, and she happened to be taking a walk on the beach when the sun rose.

The beach was windy as usual and whipped her hair around her face. Pinks and oranges were slowly seeping into the deep blue sky. She looked out into the crashing ocean waves and realized how much she missed being out there.

Not that it mattered now. She had been on the Black Pearl. The best pirate ship of them all. The most feared, best captain, most stories…and the list continues. She had been part of the crew, and she gave it all up.

She sighed and went back up to the house, and glanced one last time at the ocean. Somehow taking this job at the pub felt like giving up her dream. She looked as far out into the horizon as she could, and felt a chill creep up her spine.

Something felt…wrong. She shook the feeling away as best she could, and went to sleep as soon as she hit the bed.


	3. Chapter Two

_A/N: I came to realize that her name is Ana Maria...my mistake. Unfortunately, I have at least a fifth of the story written already, so I'm not going back and changing them all. I'm suspecting that we all know who I mean by Ana Marie. Any confusion is greatly regretted. Please keep reviewing, because I love feeling wanted. thanx_

**Chapter Two**

James Norrington was dressed in his best and stood outside the door of Lord Cutler Bennett's office. Inside he heard the guards and Lord Bennett conversing with one another and then the door creaked open.

"Good morning, Commodore." Bennett said from his desk, without bothering to look up. "Have a seat, please." He scribbled the finishing touches on his paper and put it in a drawer before addressing Norrington.

"I've come to know what my job will be." Norrington explained.

"Yes, I'm quite aware." Bennett replied as he took a few things out of his desk drawer. One of them being the heart of Davey Jones. Norrington stared at the beating mass in disgust as he remembered trying to get the blood out of that shirt.

"Your job…" Bennett began, and paused to clear his throat, "is rather simple. As we all know, the Royal Navy is in possession of Davey Jones' heart. Therefore, we need to bribe him to hand over all control of the sea to us. When he does so, his heart will be returned to him."

"And my job in this is?…"

"To find the Flying Dutchman, and inform him that we have something of his. I told you it wouldn't be that difficult." Bennett smirked and gave a curt nod. "Will you, or will you not take this job?"

"What do I get in return?" Norrington asked.

"Well, of course, you'll be moved up in rank. And be paid handsomely." Bennett said in a tone of voice that indicated his answer should be obvious. "Sign here." Lord Bennett pushed a piece of parchment and quill to Norrington. "If you are willing to take the job, that is."

Norrington raised an eyebrow at Bennett before signing the parchment.

"Thank you. A ship and a crew of good fighters—just in case there's trouble—will be awaiting you tomorrow morning. Be there in time to port, you don't want to make a bad impression as Captain." Bennett explained before waving Norrington away.

"How am I supposed to go about finding Davey Jones?" Norrington asked as he stood up.

"That's not my problem, now is it?" Bennett sighed. "Guards, please escort this fine man out of my office." Norrington snarled in annoyance, but left of his own accord.

.x.

Norrington sat in a local pub, drinking enough to get drunk, but not enough for there to be terrible consequences the next morning. Oddly enough, drunk is how he thought through the most dire predicaments, and he found himself in one again.

He wasn't sure what exactly the paper with his name now signed in ink at the bottom said, but it was enough to leave a good sized pit at the bottom of his stomach. He threw back the last of his ale and slammed the cup down on the table.

Where in gods name was he going to find out about the Flying Dutchman? A week ago, he would have argued that the Flying Dutchman as well as the heart of Davey Jones was all legend. Non existent.

But no. Then Jack Sparrow had to find the heart and prove all his morals wrong. It wasn't fair. He should have just taken that job as a blacksmith. No, he had to have special dreams of making it big.

He grabbed the new mug of beer before it even touched the bar and downed half of it. He had to stop complaining and figure out what to do.

Of course, there was one place that came to mind when dealing with pirates. And of course, it would be pirates that he would be dealing with, probably for the next wasted year of his life.

That made the answer of his first stop as Captain of the…whatever his boat was to be called…to be in the pirate town of Tortuga.

.x.

Norrington awoke with more of a headache than he had banked on, but managed to get himself awake and decent.

He made it to the dock about an hour after sunrise, and looked at all the beautiful ships, wondering which one was his.

"Commodore Norrington?" a man's voice asked.

"Yes. That would be me." Norrington said, shaking his head in attempt to clear it.

"Your ship is this way." Norrington followed the man who was dressed in the usual red uniform. The man led him to a ship that was almost a mirror image of the Dauntless, except for the name, 'The Cutler Bennett', inscribed on the back. Norrington couldn't help but to scoff at Bennett's conceitedness, and got aboard the ship to meet his crew.

They were Royal Navy, but less high-strung with a more piratey atmosphere…but Royal Navy nonetheless.

He introduced himself, and instead of the respect that he had expected, he got a few noncommittal grumblings.

"Right then. I suppose I should tell you where we're headed." he announced, as he walked up to the wheel.

"T'would be a good idea." one of the men mopping the deck called up to him.

"Our heading is Tortuga."


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

The crew including Tia-Dalma and Barbossa stood in a circle on the porch of her rickety house.

"I don't know how you're going to find Jack, to tell you the truth." she warned. "All's I knows is that, if you can return him body to meh, then we can meld him soul back to it, and he be living once again. Him body will be at the end of the world…all the bodies are. It might take some time to find his, but it will be near the top. Its new…fresh."

Elizabeth shuddered at the thought of having to haul around Jack's lifeless body, but if it would help him, she would do it. She would do anything to bring him back.

She felt the weight of his soul on her conscience, and it was dragging her down. No, she didn't love him, but she did care about him, and she couldn't help feeling guilty for being the cause of his death. Just thinking about how she tricked him brought tears to her eyes.

He rather did deserve it, with all that he's done over his life…but she wished he could have gone down fighting. Which is exactly why she had the determination to bring him back.

Will glanced over at Elizabeth, who was deep in thought. It was clear that neither she nor himself were listening to Tia Dalma, which they would both probably regret later. But he couldn't help drifting off.

Betrayal really isn't the nicest feeling there is, but Will kept making excuses for her. His Elizabeth. She would never leave him for Jack, would she? Did she already?

What exactly had gone on while he was on the Flying Dutchman? The thoughts panicked him and wrapped around his heart, squeezing it tighter and tighter, until it felt about ready to burst. The crew began to walk away, and Will was torn from his thoughts…for the time being.

.x.

"Tis a very nice boat." Barbossa observed. It was too small to be a ship, but big enough for a crew of their size.

"Wind in the sails!" Cotton's parrot squawked. Barbossa glanced over at the parrot and then looked to Gibbs for explanation.

"Had his tongue cut out." Gibbs explained sympathetically.

"And the parrot?" Barbossa asked.

"Speaks for him. Not quite sure how that came about."

The crew began getting onto the boat, with Pintel and Ragetti following Barbossa's every move, trying to make him more comfortable and happy. In reality, he was about ready to blow the wooden eye out of Ragetti's head.

Elizabeth was returning from giving Tia-Dalma her blanket when the woman grabbed her by the wrist.

"You'll be needing this if yeh plan to find Cap'n Sparrow." she said and pushed something into Elizabeth's hand. She patted the young girl on the cheek and returned to her home. Elizabeth looked down to see a compass, identical to Jack's sitting in the palm of her hand.

She slowly opened it and watched as the arrow spun crazily around and finally stopped, pointing straight at…Barbossa?

She shook the compass,and sighedout of reliefwhen Barbossa stepped away and revealed Will standing behind him.

"Thank god." she murmured before snapping the compass shut and slipping it into her pocket. As she passed by Will, she felt him send a venomous glance her way.

She almost didn't want to know what made him so mad, but she had a pretty good idea. And that attitude was definitely not something she wanted to confront. She sighed before retiring herself to the Captain's cabin, which Barbossa had given to her.

.x.

By the time Elizabeth had awoken, they were out in the sea and everyone was above deck.

"Did we decide what we're going to do?" Elizabeth addressed Barbossa.

"No idea." he admitted.

"Well, we just have to sail to the end of the world. It can't be that difficult. I mean, can't you just hoist anchor and…go?" she persisted.

"For one thing, we have no idea which end of the world he's on. He could be on the South end, the North end, the West end, or the East end." Gibbs explained, counting off the ends on his fingers.

"Oh dear." Elizabeth muttered.

"I say we go to Tortuga, maybe get a better ship, maybe pick up a few crew mates. What say you?" Will spoke for the first time that morning.

"Aye! It's a probable idea." Barbossa agreed.

"To Tortuga!" Pintel announced and grimaced happily at Barbossa. Barbossa rolled his eyes at the dirty pirate and ordered for him and Ragetti to scrub the decks.

As soon as the crew had their heading, they went to their stations, discluding Elizabeth and Will, who actually had no stations to report to. Elizabeth made a move to talk to Will, but before she could get to him, he was halfway up the mast. Barbossa watched from the wheel as Elizabeth looked up at Will, and then walked over to the railing, dejected.

"Gibbs, take the wheel for a moment." Barbossa ordered before walking down to Elizabeth. He leaned against the rail next to her, but she barely solicited a glance.

"So, are yeh going to explain to me what exactly is going on between you two love birds?" he dared to ask.

"I don't exactly feel comfortable talking to someone who was dead the last time I saw him, but now is miraculously aboard the ship." she said coldly.

"I'm jest tryin' to help yeh. Yeh seem…down. I'll listen if yeh need to get any weight off yer shoulders." he tried.

"That's a very kind offer which I will consider in the privacy of...my own private space." she replied before walking to the other end of the ship. Barbossa sighed at his failed attempt at friendship, and then returned to the wheel.

.x.

Somehow the sun was already setting; it felt like just minutes ago Will had climbed the mast of the ship. He sat in the crows nest, fiddling with a small telescope. There was nothing to look out for, they weren't running from anything anymore.

Somehow, things were less exciting without Jack. But, just the thought of the dead man's name sent rage through him. He slammed the telescope against his knee a few times before he calmed down again.

He heard a familiar cry from Jack, the monkey, as the little guy perched on his shoulder.

"Why, hello there." he said softly, petting the monkeys head. "Are you still going to turn into a skeleton when the moon comes out?"

The monkey cocked its head and snatched the telescope out of Will's hands. He banged it against the mast a few times before returning it to Will and screeching again. The sun had set and the first rays of moonlight were peering over the horizon.

"Figures" Will muttered, as the monkey turned skeletal. He looked so lonely. "Don't worry, I'm right there with you."

He petted the monkey's few remaining tufts of hair, as they watched the moon appear from hiding once more.

.x.

Dreams about the past few days haunted Elizabeth's sleep, and she found herself awake before the sun rose. She leaned against the rail and watched the ocean waves shimmer. She glanced up to the crows nest, and sure enough, Will was still up there. Probably fell asleep.

The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that Will had seen the kiss with Jack and taken it the wrong way. All morning she fretted about Will, which led to Jack, which led back to Will. It was all a very time consuming process and before she realized it, the sun had risen.

Actually, she had been startled out of her reverie by Barbossa, who was once again courting her friendship. Well, I suppose it won't do any harm, she reasoned with herself.

"You really want to know what happened?" she asked.

"Who wouldn't? This whole ordeal seems very intricate, and I'm a lost at sea." he explained.

"Well…might as well start from the beginning."


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

"We must find his body! He probably has the heart with him." Davey Jones paced around his humongous cabin. Playing the organ relieved stress, but now, he was too stressful to even look at the piece of work.

Frustrating pieces of the past played over and over in his mind. "What did I do wrong? How could this have possibly happened?" he complained, trying his best not to break anything.

One crew member with a hammerhead shark as his face, dared to approach him.

"Captain, we need a heading." he pointed out meekly.

"I am fully aware!" Davey Jones shouted. The shark-man drew back in fear, and waited next to the door for his answer. The tentacles that made up his beard twisted manically, and the answer finally came. "To the end of the world. We must find Jack Sparrow's body."

"We'll be right off. But, er, which direction?" he dared.

"Sorth!" Davey Jones roared, as if it should be obvious. "No, wait…that's not right. Weast!...No..no…Wouth!...Erm…any direction will get us there, really."

"O-of course." the shark-man left as soon as his response was out his mouth and hurried to join the rest of the crew.

"Bloody shark." Davey Jones mused.

.x.

Once the ship was moving, the Captain of the infamous ship had calmed down quite a bit. He was sitting at the organ, his tentacles filling the ship with haunting music. He closed his eyes and let his mind drift to the reason this all had started. Back to the first and only woman he had ever loved.

"Lovely tune yeh got there, mate." a familiar voice said. Davey Jones' eyes snapped open and he looked up to see a Captain Jack Sparrow. And, he was sitting on the organ! The NERVE! Automatically, Davey Jones pulled out his sword and thrust it into Jack's heart. Jack looked down at it, the switched positions so that it was going through his knee instead.

"A little less awkward for the conversation." he explained.

"Wha—how? What are you?" Davey Jones managed.

"Me? Well, I am Captain Jack Sparrow." he answered, with his signature grin.

"I bloody well know that! I meant…what _are _you?" Davey Jones repeated.

"I don't actually know. I'd say I was a ghostie. Seems pretty accurate to me." He replied as he stuck his hand through an organ pipe.

"Where is my heart?" the Captain commanded, regaining his composure.

"Why should I tell you? It's your fault that I can just fall through walls without any warning at all whatsoever." Sparrow pointed out and let himself sink into the organ for dramatic effect. He pulled himself out and waited for Davey Jones to continue.

"Tell me or I'll…I'll…"

"You'll what? Kill me? How about this, we make a deal." Jack suggested.

"A deal…What are your conditions?" he asked suspiciously.

"You give me my body and my ship back, then I tell you where the heart is. Savvy?"

"Why should I trust you?" Davey Jones asked, eyeing the pirate.

"Because if you don't, then you don't get your precious thump-thump."

The answer simple enough, but how was he even to know if Jack had the heart, or had any idea at all whatsoever of where it was.

"How long are you gonna be around?" Davey Jones asked finally.

"Well, I'll pop in and out from time to time. Its not like I don't have other people to haunt." Sparrow explained. "I'll give you some time, I'll be back later on."

And like that, he was gone. No smoke, no fading, just pop. Gone. Davey Jones shook his head and considered banging it against the organ pipes, but resisted and went with believing that he didn't just fall asleep.

"Now, I have a deal to consider." he said to himself.

.x.

Davey Jones was up most of the night, worrying about Jack popping out of somewhere random. Finally, he was so exhausted from his pacing and worrying, he had fallen asleep at the organ.

He awoke some time later, with Jack sitting on his hat. He, of course, didn't know that, so when he went to give the crew orders, he was quite confused at the strange looks he was getting.

Finally, about halfway through the day, he stumbled upon Bootstrap Bill. Bootstrap had looked at something above Davey Jones' head in awe.

"Jack! I thought you were dead!" he exclaimed.

"Eh, gigs up." Jack sighed as he hopped down. "Yeah, I'm dead. Dead as a bloody doornail. I'm just haunting."

"Yes, now I would like to speak to you privately, now that you've had your fun." Davey Jones said, trying to conceal his anger at being made a fool.

"About the…" Jack glanced from side to side that attempted to nudge Davey Jones with his elbow, but ended up going the whole way through him, "…deal?"

"Yes, about that. I won't do it. I will find the heart on my own. I am connected to it, therefore I shall find it."

"Well, if you insist. That doesn't mean I won't stop haunting though. This is by far my favorite place to haunt." Jack pointed out before disappearing.

"And I thought he was annoying when he was alive." Davey Jones muttered as he returned to the organ.


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

_Captain Jack placed the slimy hat on his head, before charging head on into something with a ton of teeth. The Krakens mouth._

_About a mile away, Ana Marie watched from a longboat as he and the ship were destroyed._

Ana Marie jerked awake, a cold sweat covering her body. She threw back her covers and looked out to the ocean, as if that would do her any good.

For the past weeks dreams of Jack had been haunting her, and none of them were good. She couldn't figure out if she had brought it on herself, or if it actually meant something.

He can't be dead, she assured herself. It's Jack Sparrow. He can't be dead.

Unfortunately, she wasn't that easily persuaded. She didn't want to ask around and feel stupid when she found out that he was down the street in a hotel, but at the same time, she was beginning to wonder if he was alright.

She realized that the sun was beginning to fade, and got dressed for her job. The family would be eating soon, and she had stories to tell the children.

.x.

"He what!" Maria exclaimed, as Ana Marie continued. The twins were staring wide-eyed as they ate their stew, but William was looking bored.

"Everyone knows that's not true." he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, but it is. I know it for a fact. I fought the cursed pirates." Ana Marie objected.

"Yeah right!" he exclaimed, "Next you're gonna tell us that you sailed on the Black Pearl, and had a love affair with Jack Sparrow."

"Captain!" the twins chimed in.

"Yes to the first, boat affair to the second." Ana Marie corrected.

"Right." he said, disbelieving, "So you mean to tell me that you were a crewmember for the LEGENDARY Black Pearl, and you just walked away from that. I thought your dream was to be a pirate."

"Walking away from the Pearl was the worst mistake I ever made." Ana Marie admitted solemnly.

"Why did you do it?" Anne piped up.

"Well, me and ole' Jack…he was a little strange for my liking…as a Captain, anyway. And I had my own ship. I was foolish to think that the crew would stand behind a lady captain. They were mutinous, the lot of 'em. Made me walk the plank." Ana Marie explained.

"So wait, now you were the Captain of a ship and were made to walk the plank. This is getting ridiculous." William said. But the look in his eyes betrayed the fact that he was interested in the story.

"Yes, that's how I ended up hereabouts." Ana Maria answered simply.

"Oh, will you tell us about everything you did? From the beginning?" Maria begged.

"Not tonight, darling. I need to get off to work." she answered, tousling Maria and Anne's hair affectionately. She stood up and pulled her hair into her new, girly style, and topped it off with her bandana. She saluted to the family before marching out the door.

.x.

All through the night, Ana Marie listened for signs of what may have happened to Captain Jack, but to no avail. She was beginning to get frustrated with her lack of information, and slumped against the kitchen doorway.

"What's eatin yeh?" the bartender asked.

"I'm worried about a friend of mine." she said, not really wanted to give the bartender details about Jack, or her dreams.

"If yeh tell me who, then I'll relay any informations to yeh." he suggested.

"If you find out anything about the Black Pearl, let me know." she said, after thinking it over.

"And if the news is bad?" he asked.

"I can handle it."

She grabbed drinks and took them to her table, without giving the bartender time to finish.

.x.

The sun was due to come up within the hour, and Ana Marie helped her newfound friend, Felicity to put all the chairs on their tables.

"Hard work, innit?" Felicity grunted as she dragged an overweight man over to the bar.

"Some nights are better than others. I just love being around tales of the sea." Ana Marie sighed.

"Too bad yer not a lad. You'd make a fine pirate." Felicity said, almost adoringly.

"I was a pirate." Ana Marie replied gruffly. "On the Black Pearl."

"In a dream, perhaps, but not for real." Felicity giggled nervously.

"Oh yes, for real. Me and the Cap'n. We were real close." Ana Marie explained. She watched Felicity squirm and decided to take it a little farther, "Real close…if you get what I mean."

Felicity's mouth dropped open, and Ana Marie winked, before going back to stacking chairs.

"So are you mopping tonight, or shall I?" Ana Marie asked. She glanced over at Felicity who was standing there, mouth agape. "I suppose it'll be my duty, then."


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

They docked the Bennett at Tortuga and the crew split up, agreeing to meet there in the morning with any information they attained overnight.

Norrington was not exactly glad to be back at Tortuga, and the faintest smell of pigs made him shudder. He had definitely taken note that this was not the place to get drunk and start a fight. It never ended well for people like him.

He remembered with emotional hurt, Elizabeth clonking him on the head with his bottle and the comment she made as he lost consciousness.

He shook his head to clear the thoughts and entered the nearest pub, ordered something to drink, and got down to business.

.x.

"Have you ever heard of Davey Jones?" he tried, for about the five hundredth time that night.

"Davey Jones LOCKER! Walk the Plank. The Plank, Plank, Plank!" the man replied in a sing-song voice.

"I am getting no where with this." Norrington sighed, feeling very annoyed with his lack of progress.

.x.

"Are you stressed my good sir?" asked a stunning redhead. Norrington rubbed his eyes in annoyance as the word whore ran through his mind.

"Do I look stressed, my good lady?" he replied.

"Yes, I think you do, don't you girls?" she asked the blondes standing behind her.

"Terribly stressed." one agreed and crossed behind him and began massaging his back.

"We can help you with that." the second blonde added.

"But, not without a small fee." the redhead interjected.

"So whaddya say?"

"I say, come back when you can give me two pages worth on where to find Davey Jones and the Flying Dutchman." he retorted, irritated.

"Ew, he's stuffy and likes books. Let's go girls." the red head said, and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

.x.

Norrington was only moments away from smashing the table with his head.

"Thank you for your help sir." he said sarcastically and stood up. He wasn't half as drunk as he should be for this kind of work, and the ale here might as well have been pirate piss. He ordered the most expensive rum, and sat at the bar, rubbing his temples.

As soon as it arrived, he raised it to his lips, but stopped, noticing a man slide into the seat next to him.

"I hear you're looking for information regarding Davey Jones's whereabouts." he said, dragging out his s's, and sounding quite frankly, a good bit like a snake.

"Yes, do you have any useful information. Because if you're going to ramble on like a drunkard about the heart that I already delivered to Lord Bennett, then you just shoo." he said irritably.

"I know absolutely nothing about Davey Jones, but this woman will." the man answered, and slipped Norrington a piece of paper. Before Norrington could thank him, he was gone.

He sipped at his rum as he studied the piece of paper, trying to figure out what exactly this woman was.

He stumbled through the streets, trying to find the scribbled address. He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't particularly trust the directions he could from a drunkard sitting outside the man pub.

By now he was a ways into the city, and in the middle is where it calmed down. This had to be where the families lived, because there was very little commotion, and almost no drunks littering the streets.

There was a couple, the man pressing the woman against the side of the building. They were kissing and the woman had her skirts all up, eliciting moans every once and a while. Norrington scoffed at their openness, and moved on.

Eventually, he came upon an old rickety house in center of the square, and there was a woman outside on a rocking chair. She was wearing a very nice dress, and her long white hair was flowing down. He imagined it would reach past her waist, had she been standing. Her eyes were closed and she hummed in rhythm with the rocking of the chair. She looked so serene and fragile, Norrington was almost afraid to approach her.

"Come here, darling, it's alright." the woman said, never opening her eyes.

"I-I am Commodore James Norrington, and I would really appreciate your help in finding the Flying Dutchman. I just have no idea where to look." he explained.

"Ahh…I'm afraid I can't help you much here, son." she said, and he turned to go. "But wait…come sit with me. Keep an old lady company. I would love to do a palm reading. I won't charge, I just need to keep in practice."

Norrington sighed, but he hadn't made any progress all night, and soon people would be retiring to their homes. He might as well keep the old woman company.

He took a seat in the rocking chair next to her.

"Give me your palm, son." she said and held out her hands. He held out his hand and she grasped it with her own leathery hands. Her eyes opened for the first time, and he almost drew back at the sight of the milky white orbs. She was blind.

He fought back a shudder and watched as she traced over every single line in his hand. He didn't quite understand how she could see them, and stared transfixed with curiosity.

"You are very power-hungry. And willing to do anything you can to get what you want…Lord Norrington."

His eyes widened at the mention of the title 'Lord'.

"T-the sun is coming up, and I must meet the crew. I-It was good to meet you ma'am." he stuttered, jerking away. He stumbled down the street, glancing back at the woman every few steps.

She watched him go with a menacingly haunting smile, and he almost tripped and fell a few times. When she was finally out of view, he collapsed against the wall of a house, cold and clammy. He focused his breathing and straightened his clothing, determined to be the first back to the Bennett.

.x.

"So absolutely no one had any luck?" Norrington asked desperately. Most of the crew was vomiting over the deck, and about a third of them were passed out. Too much rum, Norrington thought in disgust.

"I say we stay a second night, and after that we move on." one of the crew members suggested. Norrington agreed, for lack of better idea, and went into his cabin to rest. He would definitely need it.


	8. Chapter Seven

_AN: a few reviewers informed me of the mistake that the name is not Lord Cutler Bennett, it is in fact, Beckett. Sorry about that. There are two explainations for this. 1) writing in the middle of the night and 2) the website i was looking on was plotting against me. To tell you all the truth, I couldn't remember his name for the life of me, and didn't have a spare $7 to go see the movie for the fourth time...so I just went to a website, got the name, and closed the box.Anyway, I'm thoroughly embarassed, and will make sure his name is right throughout the rest of the story (I hope). So all of you can calm down, and not be annoyed by the name issue. haha. Thanks for letting me know. Oh and also, sorry this chapter is so short. haha. Apology ahead of time._

**Chapter Seven**

"Harassing you is only so much fun." Jack decided, as he pressed the same annoying organ key for about the hundredth time in the hour. "So I'll stop now."

"Thank you dearly." Davey Jones spat. He took a deep breath and readied his tentacles to begin his new masterpiece, and just as his tentacles stroked the keys, Jack pressed the key again. The tentacles went rigid and Jack coulda sworn the slimy guy's eyes glowed red.

"Now I'm done, I promise." he said, and tiptoed out of the room. Who better to harass than mister tight pants, Shark-man. All of these men had names of course, but it was much easier to remember them by the shapes of their heads. There was Shark-man, Hermitcrab Head, Hermitcrab Body, Reef-head, Barnacle face, and so on. But by far, his favorite was Shark-man.

"I'm mister high and mighty around my ship mates, but when it comes to Big Ole' Davey-boy I'm as meek as a lil schoolgirl!" he announced, hiking up his pants and batting his eyelashes at the crew men, "Who am I? You guessed it.." He popped himself right next to Shark-man, "Your good buddy, cranky-pants!"

About that time, Shark-man would try to punch him, but would either miss or go right through Sparrow, either alternative suited him. Of course, not being able to hit Jack put his knickers in a bunch and he would make a show of going to complain to 'The Big Guy' but would turn around as soon as he got to the door.

Unfortunately, that shenanigan was only amusing the first five times. Then he found other ways to amuse himself. He went about waking the Kraken every hour on the hour for three days straight.

"Serves yeh right for eating me!" he would screech at it every time. Of course, after a while the Kraken stopped coming, and Jack was in Davey Jones' cabin, asking about it.

.x.

"Yeh, well, I think I broke your Kraken. He stops coming when I call him." Jack explained as he attempted to play the organ with his toes.

"You are theonly person I regretted killing, you realize that?" Davey Jones asked.

"Well, that's the whole point. You give me my body and my ship, and I stop annoying you. I see it as a fair trade. I mean, you coulda gotten your heart, but no. You had to act all…whats the word I'm looking for? Umm... Valiant?" he paused to muse the word, then continued, "Yes, valiant and heroic! But, hey, your loss."

.x.

And on the boring nights, Jack kept Bootstrap Bill company.

"Great boy he was. And you shoulda seen his lass." Jack exclaimed, then losing himself in thought over Elizabeth. And the betrayal.

"He was a handsome boy." Bootstrap nodded.

"Oh yes, but this bonnie lady. She was a Governor's daughter. Fancy that." Jack waggled his eyebrows. (_I couldn't help but use the word waggled. It tickles me.)_

"I have no doubt of that." Bootstrap sighed, "I just wish I could be there on the wedding day. Be there to meet my grandchildren."

"Well, it's probable." Jack began.

"Not when you're doomed to an eternity on this godforsaken ship." Bootstrap tried to hide the tears forming in his ocean-blue eyes.

"Now, did you let me finish?" Sparrow asked with mock irritation.

"Terribly sorry. Continue."

"Mutiny." Jack hissed. Bootstraps eyes widened. "Just convince some of your buddies, and it'll all be good. We can take him down!"

"N-no…I don't really agree with that idea at all." Bootstrap stammered.

"What more could he do to yeh, mate? And it wouldn't be a full-out mutiny. Just get a couple of yer buddies to challenge him. There won't be any possible way for him to win! The stakes are the same, everyone against him, he loses and he gives me a body and a ship and walks the plank! And if he wins, he can make me into one of you…erm…barnacle men,-no offense-and make me work for him for eternity!"

"It seems like you've been planning this for quite a while." Bootstrap pointed out.

"Well, awakening the Kraken is only fun the first twenty times." Jack shrugged. "Anyway, at least think about the idea. I have haunting to do in the meanwhile."

.x.

Jack walked the plank and gave it a few extra bounces for added effect, before flipping into the ocean water.

Moments later, he popped at the end of the plank and jumped a few times before performing another stunt.

The rattling of the plank against the side of the ship kept most of the crew members up through the night, but when Jack bored of that, he returned to the captains cabin.

He brought with him a nice bottle of ink and a quill. He settled down in front of a sleeping Davey Jones, and made it his business to cover every tentacle with little hearts and sunshine.

He added pouty woman lips and faux eyelashes as finishing touches, before returning the ink and quill to the desk.

He waited about an hour for Davey Jones to wake up and see his make-over, but when that octopus-face slept, he really slept.

"Well, no harm in giving him a few braids." Jack muttered, and went about braiding all of Davey Jones tentacles together.

And when he finished, he went back to hitting the key in the same repetitive motion that Davey Jones hated.

.x.

Bootstrap lay in his hammock, considering Jack's offer, when everyone was awoken by the scream of the Captain.

"MY TENTACLES!" Bootstrap smiled during the short pause, knowing what was coming next. "JACK SPARROW!"


	9. Chapter Eight

_A/N: I know, I know, its been going very slow, but we're getting there, I promise. And Elizabeth is acting how I would if I was her, so if you think it's completely out of character, I'm sorry. I just know, that if I had the guilt of someone's soul weighing me down, I wouldn't really be thinking about anything at all other than that. Not that its a good choice, it just seems to be the choice anyone with a heart would make. So don't eat me alive please? hehe_

**Chapter Eight**

"Ah, Tortuga at last!" Barbossa exclaimed, glad to be arriving. He was still getting used to being on water full time again, and it had made him rather sea-sick. Everyone stood on the dock admiring how big all the other ships were compared to Tia Dalma's.

"So, which one shall we commandeer?" Barbossa asked.

"Captain Barbossa! Pick the end one! Pick the one on the end!" Ragetti suggested, pointing to a ship belonging to the Royal Navy.

"Oh heavens no! Look at its name!" Gibbs exclaimed.

"The Cutler Beckett." Will read under his breath. "Definitely not that one." he agreed irritably.

"How about that one?" Elizabeth asked and pointed to a grey ship with faded grey sails.

"Doesn't look like twill be missed." Barbossa agreed.

"Now, let us take time to regroup… and drink some rum!" Gibbs exclaimed, holding up his flask.

They all headed off to a smaller pub off to the side, one of Gibb's buddies worked there and people were less likely to get separated, and more likely to be able to take some time and space to think about what all was going on.

.x.

Ana Marie had promised to be at work early that night, and regretted missing story-time with the family, but promised to tell them a story the next night.

She hurried off to the pub, but stopped dead when she noticed a small ship that wasn't there before. It looked strangely familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.

She arrived at the pub and quickly took all the chairs down, before rushing over to the bartender, "Any news?"

"None today. Sorry dear. Maybe if you told me…."

"No. Just the Black Pearl. That's all I need to know about." she shook her head. Soon customers were pouring in, and she and Felicity were having trouble keep the whores to their corners.

From the bar, she heard cheerful and loud voices, and looked over to see the bartender hugging a man. The man had about six other men waiting behind them. But then she had a second glance, and realized one of them was a woman. And, at closer look, that woman was Elizabeth!

.x.

"Excuse me…but could you tell me where the loo is?" Elizabeth asked the bartender shyly.

"I have a nice lady over there, see the one with the bandana and skirts? She can show you. It's rather hard to find." he said pointing to a woman with chocolate skin. Elizabeth smiled at her, and tried to figure out how she knew this woman.

"Ana Marie!" she realized, and ran over, hugging the woman.

"Elizabeth? Is that you? You look absolutely horrid!" Ana Marie exclaimed. "Sorry, but you look almost traumatized."

"You have no idea." Elizabeth sighed.

"Jack Sparrow." Ana Marie exclaimed suddenly. Elizabeth looked up at her, eyes wild.

"I didn't…think." Elizabeth managed before breaking down into sobs. Ana Marie grabbed her before she could hit the floor and helped her to the bathroom.

"Come back to my house and let me clean you up, you and all your friends. I can take the night off.

"G-Gibbs knows the b-bartender. He's giving them cl-clothes and such." Elizabeth croaked between gut-wrenching sobs. It almost hurt Ana Marie to listen to it.

"Please, come to my house and tell me what has you in such a riot." Ana Marie said, carefully avoiding the words Captain, Jack, and Sparrow.

"O-okay. But I h-hafta tell Bar-Barbossa." Elizabeth stammered, the tears finally stopping.

"Barbossa?" Ana Marie hissed.

"He's g-good now." Elizabeth hiccupped as Ana Marie dried the last of the tears from the girl's grimy face.

"You have a lot to tell me…" Ana Marie sighed.

.x.

"Poor Jack. A good man, he was." the bartender said sadly before pouring the whole group a drink. He let Ana Marie take Elizabeth to her house after hearing what the group had been through.

"A toast to Captain Jack. May he live forever in our hearts!" Gibbs said, and downed the whole mug.

"To Jack." the rest of the tiny crew chimed in.

.x.

"So, let me get this straight…" Ana Marie began, "The Kraken ate the Black Pearl, and Captain Jack stayed on the ship…so that he could be remembered as a good captain?"

"Something along those lines, yes." Elizabeth said. She was sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea, with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her nose was red and her eyes still puffy from tears, but she had calmed down quite a bit.

"It doesn't really seem like something he would do. It's very..." Ana Marie paused looking for a word.

"Epic?" Sarah added helpfully.

"Out of character." Ana Marie finished. About that time, Elizabeth moaned and buried her face in her hands.

"I can't lie to you." she cried, her hands making it hard to hear what she was saying. Ana Marie and Sarah leaned in. "It's my fault."

"Your fault? Of course it's not your fault." Sarah tried to assure, and patted Elizabeth on the shoulder.

"Yes it is.." Elizabeth moaned, "I tricked him."

"What do you mean, tricked him?" Ana Marie asked, pulling Elizabeth's hands from her face gently.

"He seemed to have a bit of a…fancy of me." Elizabeth began, and almost didn't finish the story. She had barely caught it, but there was a look of envy in Ana Marie's eyes. "And he had that…black mark on his hand. All writhing and squirming about."

Elizabeth looked down at her hand and shuddered before continuing, "The Kraken was after him, not us. I did what I had to."

"And what might that be?" Ana Marie asked, trying to hide the annoyance in her voice.

"The Kraken attacked the Black Pearl, and Jack ran. I thought him to be a complete coward. When he returned of his own accord, that made my job even more difficult." Elizabeth explained. Sarah and Ana Marie watched anxiously, awaiting the end of the story. "Everyone was on the long boat…except for me, Jack, and Gibbs. Gibbs was handing supplies down to Will, so I took that as my chance."

"I kissed Jack…" she stopped for a moment and glanced at Ana Marie. She was glaring at her feet and clenching her fists, and Elizabeth knew she had to continue if she fancied keeping her head, "and cuffed him to the mast. He didn't choose to stay with the ship, I made him stay. But you must understand, it was the only way."

"You're a fool. You just had to get to land." Ana Marie growled.

"I haven't told anyone this, and now Irealise that telling you was a mistake." Elizabeth said softly. Sarah looked from Elizabeth to her sister and decided that Elizabeth would need more comfort.

"I need some time." Ana Marie said before storming up to her room. Elizabeth closed her eyes to stop the new tears from falling.

"T'wasn't a mistake." Sarah assured, rubbing Elizabeth's back. "It was his life, or all of yours. You made the right choice."

"I know. But…it's so hard." Elizabeth sighed. She glanced out the window and realized that the sun was already rising.

"Ana Marie knows you did the right thing…she's just blinded by her feelings." Sarah explained.

_Blinded by her…feelings…_

"She had feelings for Captain Sparrow?" Elizabeth asked suddenly, an idea dawning on her.

"Well, of course. Who wouldn't?" Sarah asked, winking.

"Tell her that I'll be back before sundown. And that if she still wants to go back to pirating life…I have a job for her." Elizabeth said and left, practically running back to the boat.

.x.

The crew stood upon deck, relaying any information they had come upon.

"Everyone told me to visit Tia-Dalma." Ragetti relayed.

"But that would be of no help to us now." Pintel sighed.

"That's most of what I got as well." Gibbs agreed.

"Well, I have an idea, if you would all like to listen." Elizabeth said from her seat on the stairs. She looked up from under her hat and snapped the compass closed, "And I am almost positive it would work."


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

"Okay, men, tonight is the final night here. Try not to get piss drunk again, and make some real progress. I don't want to have to return to Port Royal empty handed because of you fools." Norrington lectured before the crew left.

Tonight he decided on a smaller pub. Maybe if he was lucky, there would be fewer drunks. He sighed and pushed the door open. Yes, it did seem nicer there. There were almost no whores, and the few that were there were restricted to a corner. With people that actually did want women throwing themselves all over them while they were trying to do important work.

He rolled his eyes and sat down at the bar, once again ordering something he hoped would taste half decent. He chatted a little with the bartender, then found himself eavesdropping in on a conversation.

"Dead? JACK SPARROW? I never thought the day would come." one of the men said.

"But he'll be back. They rounded up a crew and they'll bring him back." another man argued.

"And how exactly do they think they're going to bring him back?" the first man asked.

"Tia-Dalma. She knows all." the second man nodded.

.x.

Norrington spent most of the night pondering the conversation he overheard. Firstly, who was this Tia-Dalma woman, and could she help him. Second, was Jack Sparrow really dead? And third, how can anyone come back from the dead?

The third topic didn't stay in his mind very long, as he remembered the old crew of the Black Pearl. All skeletons.

"I must say, I didn't think I would ever see that." hegrumbled as he finished off his rum.

.x.

"Bartender, what can you tell me about a woman called Tia-Dalma." he asked finally, not wanting to leave the bar without any leads.

"Oh, yeh don't want to go near the likes of her. Witchcraft and voodoo." he shook his head.

"Well, if I were to go to her, she wouldn't….hang my head from her door would she?" Norrington persisted.

"If yeh don't pay her some type of, erm, tribute she just might do that. But if yeh need to know something. Yer future or the whereabouts of yer love, she's the one to go to."

"Tribute?" he asked.

"Aye. Not money, she doesn't take that. She needs something special. Something, ehh, unique."

"Thank you for your help, sir." Norrington said, and rose from the barstool, "It is greatly appreciated."

"Don't go after 'er mate! She be bad news!" the bartender called after him.

.x.

"Yes, I need some sort of substance that one would use to keep something wet." Norrington told the shopkeeper.

"Wet? Wet like a frog, or wet like a whore?" the grimy man laughed. Norrington sighed in disgust as he tried to think of an answer.

"Wet like someone's eye." he said retorted.

"Plannin' on rippin' out yer eyes and keeping them as pets?" the shopkeeper asked.

"I don't have time for this nonsense." Norrington said firmly.

"I got what yer lookin fer. Come back in an hour and twill be ready." he said, downtrodden that the man hadn't laughed at any of his jokes.

"Thank you sir." Norrington replied stiffly.

.x.

Norrington kept to the shadows, disgusted with what he had just done.

"This Tia-Dalma better accept her tribute. I'll be scared for life because of this." he mused, as he clutched tightly to the slimy object in his hand. He returned to the shop and got his…substance, unsure of what it was.

He paid for it and dropped the 'tribute' into the jar before shoving it in his pocket.

"You tell anyone what you've seen, and I'll make it my personal business to carve out both of your eyes." he hissed to the shopkeeper, before disappearing into the night.

.x.

"Commodore Norrington, do we have our heading?" one of the crew members asked.

"Yes we do." he announced, looking at the crew. Most of them were there, just one or two missing. They would be left behind. "The home of Tia-Dalma."

.x.

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me!" Jack concluded. Singing above the sound of the organ was hard work, and he had quite the sore throat when he finished.

He was growing quite bored of the Flying Dutchman, and had run out of ways to annoy the crew.

He went about as quickly as he could, and pulled every single hat-wielding crewmember's hat over their eyes before popping himself up to the crows nest and announcing,

"This is the day you will always remember as the day you wish you hadn't killed CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW!"

.x.

Norrington and two of the strongest men boarded a long boat and went through the swampy land towards Tia-Dalma's house. The rickety building was set a little ways above the water, like its own miniature dock.

Norrington let one of the men knock the door in, and they grasped the woman by the arms, bringing her over to Norrington.

"Don't manhandle her!" he ordered. The men let go of her, and she watched the three of them suspiciously.

"What fine men like yourselves have business here?" she asked.

"I need help finding the Flying Dutchman." Norrington said.

"And why does that be?" she asked, returning to her table. She sat down and put her hands together, almost as if she was praying. She looked up at him curiously.

"I have something of his." he explained.

"And if I help you, what do I get in return?"

"You get to keep your head, lady." one of the men threatened.

"Stop it, or I'll leave you in the next pirate town we come across." Norrington scolded. He returned his eyes to Tia-Dalma, who was glaring at the men.

"The eye of a psychic." he brought out the jar from his pocket. Tia-Dalma stood, and took the jar from him, inspecting it thoroughly.

"Twill do." she agreed, and placed the jar on her table. "Now here is what you'll be needin to do."


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

Bootstrap sat underneath the rotting stairs of the Flying Dutchman, near to the Captains door. Everyone else was asleep, except for Davey Jones, who was in there, pounding away at the organ.

But Bootstrap wasn't sitting there for the music. This was he and Jack's meeting place to plan for the mutiny.

He couldn't bear to even think of that word. The thought of what would happen if the Captain found out was just unbearable. He shuddered, and went about counting barnacles that had newly connected themselves to his hand.

He looked up to see Jack Sparrow staring at his hand as well. He all but jumped out of his skin, and watched the spirit in annoyance.

"Give yeh a scare, did I?" Jack chuckled, "Sorry about that."

"Tis fine Jack." Bootstrap assured.

"Good. Now down to business." Jack smiled, the moonlight glinting off his gold teeth. "How many barnacle-men do we got on our team?"

"Not very many, I'm afraid." Bootstrap admitted.

"Well, it'll improve. We only started less than a week ago." the ghost pointed out.

"Most of the men are feeling the same way as me."

"Same way as in this is a bad idea? Or same way as in 'Aye! Let's sack him!'?" Jack asked, watching Bootstrap intently.

"Truthfully? A little bit of both." Bootstrap confessed. "Amazing with all we've been through…most of us bein' part sea creature and so on…that we're such cowards."

"Yer not cowards. Davey Jones is a scary man. Scared me once. That weird…thing where he can just…be…" Jack was lost in thought of his bad experiences with the Captain of the Flying Dutchman. "Ya wanna know the worst part about bein dead?"

"If I did, I suppose you would be the one to ask." Bootstrap replied.

"The rum. There is none! I tried to drink some and…it just…it didn't work. Terrible, seeing the rum, feeling the rum, but not being able to get the rum." Jack ranted. "The one time that the rum isn't gone, I can't bloody drink it!"

"Must be tough." Bootstrap chuckled. He noticed that the organ music had stopped, and his eyes widened in horror. Jack looked from Bootstraps expression, to the door of the Captains cabin, before acknowledging.

"I'll take care of that, mate. Go back to bed." Jack said before disappearing.

.x.

"Talking to yourself, eh?" Davey Jones looked disbelieving.

"It gets boring…listening to your music. Did you ever consider making a new tune?" Jack suggested. He watched as the tentacles writhed angrily.

"Thank you for your input Mr. Sparrow."

"Captain! Captain Sparrow." Jack interjected. "I am still captain of my boat, regardless of whether it's on the bottom of the sea or not."

"Of course you are." Davey Jones returned snidely.

"Well I am!" Jack pouted. "Anyway, have you considered giving me a body so I can leave?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"I'll give you your heart, and a hat! A really big hat! And a new organ. I'll get you a nice shiny organ." Jack tried.

"No."

"I hate you."

.x.

A few days had passed, and so far Bootstrap had gotten only seven other crewmembers. He relayed the information to Jack who decided that it would have to be enough.

"Now for my part of the job. Rigging Davey Jones' dice." Jack winked.

"I still don't know if this is a good idea." Bootstrap muttered.

"Set a date, lad! The games are about to begin." Jack walked to the door with long steps, and stopped halfway out, turning back to Bootstrap. "We're about to make history, you realize that?"

_A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, but I need to make sure I don't get ahead of myself. Reviews greatly appreciated. Also, I have a favor to ask of anyone reading this. It's totally off the subject of Pirates of the Caribbean and some of you might hate me, but me and my friend have a story on and we're getting pretty much nothing in the way of reviews or ideas or suggestions or anything. If you have any free time, is our penname, and we only have one story so far. thanks to anyone who does this, and sorry to anyone who gets mad about me asking you to. _


	12. Chapter Eleven

_A/N: Once again, sorry that the past few chapters have been so short. This one is a bit longer, so I hope it will make up for my lack of length in chapters and you will all forgive me and continue reading _

**Chapter Eleven**

Elizabeth returned to Sarah's house at the time she promised, and was greeted with a wary looking Ana Marie.

"You better have good reason to be here, traitor." she hissed.

"I know you're mad, but I have a way to make it up to you." Elizabeth said both hands in her pockets. One hand was fondling the compass nervously.

"I'm sure. You have five minutes." Ana Marie tapped her foot, and studied Elizabeth, waiting for an explanation.

.x.

"_The little miss has a good idea?" Barbossa inquired, turning to Elizabeth._

"_Aye." she nodded and showed the crew her compass. "We use this."_

"_How'd you get that? I thought Jack had it when he heroically died." Will said sarcastically._

"_It's not his. It works the same, but Tia-Dalma gave this to me." she explained._

"_Well, do we have anyone that really wants Captain Jack Sparrow?" Barbossa asked finally._

"_I think I might've found someone. If she's willing to help."_

.x.

"So what do you want me to do? I always thought the compass was to find the Black Pearl." Ana Marie explained, eyeing the compass laying on the table between them.

"That's what we all thought. Well, most of us anyway. In reality its used to find whatever the holder wants the most." Elizabeth explained. Ana Marie looked up at Elizabeth, beginning to understand the plan.

"So you want me to want Sparrow?" she asked.

"Pretty much. And it shouldn't be too difficult, considering your feelings for him." Elizabeth pointed out. "All of us want to find him, but not enough to make the damn thing work."

"I'm in." she agreed.

"Before you board the ship, I need to warn you of a few things." Elizabeth began.

"What things?" Ana Marie asked, already reaching for the compass.

"There's, um, a lot of tension." she explained, mostly thinking about her and Will. But also about a lot of the crew's attitude towards Barbossa. "And of course, Barbossa is a problem in himself. He's quite polite and all, but…well, with his history, I gather he's mutinous."

"I'll be ready to leave by tomorrow morning." Ana Marie agreed, and left Elizabeth at the kitchen table alone.

.x.

"How did it go?" Barbossa asked, as soon as Elizabeth got back to the ship.

"She's coming with us." Elizabeth nodded.

"Now that we have solved that small issue, we have another to address." Barbossa said, leaning against his desk. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at him.

"And what might that be?" she inquired.

"A small situation between a nice young woman and her fiancé." Barbossa began.

"I don't even know what to do about that." she sighed, with unintended emphasis on the word 'that'.

"Just talk to him. Tell him the truth." Barbossa insisted, "If he's anything like his father, he'll understand. And he'll forgive you."

"I'm not so sure." she disagreed.

"At least give it a try. For the sake of the rest of the crew."

"I guess I have no choice."

.x.

"Well, I have good news once again." Ana Marie piped up during dinner.

"You got a job many, many miles away from here?" David asked sarcastically. Sarah shot him a venomous glance, then smiled sweetly at her sister.

"What might that be?" she asked, even though she had known since earlier in the afternoon.

"Saving Captain Jack Sparrow." Ana Marie said mysteriously.

"Saving him? From what?" asked William, with his usual skepticism.

"He's dead. And we're gonna bring him back to life." she said, raising an eyebrow for effect.

"How do you plan to do that?" David asked.

"It's a secret." Ana Marie explained.

"I don't want you filling my children's heads with this foolishness. Thank god you're leaving tomorrow. I'm going to end up with pirates as children." David replied. "You're excused from the dinner table." Ana Marie shot David a venomous look, before leaving the table and going up to her room to gather her stuff and get some sleep.

"You have no business treating my sister like that!" Sarah exclaimed. "Children, up to your rooms please. Your father and I need to have a private discussion."

The kids looked at each other sullenly, knowing that 'private discussion' usually meant 'heated argument.'

.x.

Will looked out over the boat at the town of Tortuga. The sun had set and the lights had come on, and the town seemed more happy than it actually was.

Yes, he was jealous of the town for looking happy. He sighed and glanced at the Captains cabin where Barbossa and Elizabeth were discussing the plan.

"She's probably with him too." he muttered.

"Why is it that I leave you alone for a few days, and you already have gone to the dark side. Darker side." Jack asked. Will whipped out his sword with great skill and chopped off Jack's head.

When he failed to decapitate Jack for the fifth time, he finally gave in and began asking questions, "What are you?"

"I'm a ghostly spirit…of the haunting type." Sparrow explained.

"Are you really Captain Jack Sparrow's ghost?" Will asked, raising an eyebrow, "Or are you just here to make me feel worse about myself."

"Both." came the answer.

"Figures." Will sighed, "You know, I trusted you."

"Clearly, that was a mistake."

"Yes. Apparently." Will agreed.

.x.

Elizabeth closed the door to the Captains Cabin quietly and approached Will, who seemed to be talking to himself.

"What are you talking about, didn't steal her? I saw you!" he argued to…quite possibly his sword, which he was holding in front of him defensively.

"Talking to yourself?" Elizabeth asked, taking a place next to him along the rail.

"What? No! Don't you…Never mind." Will sighed, and put his sword back in its sheath. He looked around for Jack's ghost, but it had completely disappeared.

"I think we need to talk." Elizabeth sighed.

"I think that anything you have to say won't really matter." he retorted. She was taken aback by his rudeness, and frankly was a good bit hurt. But, in all fairness, so was he.

"You seem mad at me. And I have a pretty good idea why, but I think you should let me know your reasoning, just in case I'm wrong." Elizabeth said finally.

"Well, it's nothing really. You were just going behind my back with Sparrow. But that's all." Will replied sarcastically.

"It wasn't like that." Elizabeth differed.

"Then what was it like?" Will asked, trying not to yell.

.x.

As the sun rose, Ana Marie gathered up the last of her belongings, and wrote a quick letter to her sister and the kids.

She went as quickly as she could and met up with the rest of the crew that was waiting on the dock for her.

"Our boat is a little small for our liking." Barbossa explained.

"So we're going to commandeer that one." Gibbs explained, pointing to another boat.

"Sounds like a plan." Ana Marie agreed.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

Norrington set out, and had been following Tia-Dalma's exact instructions when he had his first encounter…

Everyone was asleep and he was sitting at his desk in the Captains Cabin, mapping out the way he needed to go. He dropped his quill and slammed down his bottle of ale in annoyance.

He bent down and picked up the quill and continued to write. He reached out for the ale, but it was gone. He looked up and the bottle was on the other side of the desk.

"Now that's strange.." he muttered. He picked it up, took a swig, and began writing again; setting the bottle down.

The same thing happened about five more times before it stopped completely.

Just as Norrington had settled himself in, he heard the cry, "Man overboard!"

He stood up quickly and ran out to the deck of the ship.

There was no one to be seen.

He shook his head and went back into his cabin. His ale was tipped over onto all the work he had done.

"You know, I don't really appreciate this. Whoever you are, it's not funny." Norrington growled.

"You know, I don't really appreciate the fact that you got me killed." said a voice from the shadowy corner.

"Who are you?" Norrington asked.

"Why, Captain Jack Sparrow of course." he answered, stepping from the shadows.

"H-how did you get in here?" Norrington asked, drawing his sword. Jack decided to humor him, and also took out his sword. It would be quite amusing to make himself seem corporeal for a while.

"Lousy crew." he answered simply. Norrington stood up tall, and pointed the tip of the sword to Jack's throat.

"I highly doubt that."

Jack hit Norrington's sword away, and they began to fight. It took a lot of strength on Jack's part not to let Norringtons sword go straight through his own, but it was worth it.

Finally, he decided to finish up. He acted unprepared, and Norrington's sword went straight through his heart. Jack looked up at him, eyes wide in horror.

"Y-you killed me!" he stuttered, before falling to the ground. Norrington looked horrified as well, and began pacing the room.

"I need something to drink. How did I just kill Captain Jack Sparrow?" he stuttered, continuing to pace around the cabin. He took a swig of his ale and turned to face the impending situation.

Which just so happened to have disappeared in the past three seconds. He looked around for Jack's body, it couldn't have gotten too far…

He turned around to see Jack's face about two inches from his own.

"Boo."

In spite of himself, Norrington jumped at the sight. It wasn't the Jack he had just seen. This Jack was horrifying. Chunks of skin were missing and there was blood everywhere. His clothes were torn and he had gaping holes going the whole way through his body.

"W-what? I-I mean…well…" Norrington searched for something to say.

"This is your fault you know." Jack said, matter-of-factly. He sat down on Norrington's desk, his blood dripping all over the maps.

"How?" Norrington asked.

"Because you took my leverage. I needed that heart!" Jack exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. Blood splattered onto Norrington's face, and he did his best not to gag.

"So what happened?" he waited for Jack to continue.

"Well, that was all I had going for me. So I got eaten by that Kraken. Anyway, I'll be needing that heart back…"

"I don't have it."

"Well, then who does?" Jack exclaimed, exasperated.

"How did you find out that I had it?" Norrington asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Jack retorted.

"You could use the same thing to find out who has it now." Norrington pointed out.

"That's not a bad idea. But it takes a lot of strength, and is potentially painful for you. So you could just tell me, and get it over with…or we could do this the hard way." Jack explained.

"And what, exactly, is the hard way?" Norrington asked. Jack sighed,

"Believe me, you do not want to know."

"Well, I suppose it's the hard way then, because I'm not telling." Norrington said firmly.

"That's unfortunate." Jack sighed, before disappearing. Norrington looked around. There was no sign that he was ever there. No blood on the maps, no blood on his sword, no blood anywhere. He shook his head and decided that it would be best to get some sleep. Clearly, he had too much to drink.

.x.

The tossing and turning caused by the ocean didn't help Norrington's situation. He was sea-sick to begin with, and had awoken in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. It felt as if there was something crawling underneath his skin.

He clawed at his skin and moaned and cried, but nothing would relieve him of his condition. He had heard of many sicknesses of the seas, but this was like none other. He tried to think, but something seemed to be blocking his memories. He coughed and blood spurted out his mouth.

When he reached up to wipe it away, there was nothing there. His head pounded so badly, it was easy to believe that someone was hammering it. Anyone who would have seen him would have thought him to be insane.

The sounds of ocean waves were filling his head, making him feel deaf. His ears felt like they had burst and blood was running out them. It felt like there was blood everywhere. Finally, the pain left him unconscious.

"Thanks mate." Jack whispered, to the comatose man before disappearing.

.x.

The next morning, Norrington awoke to nothing but a slight headache.

"It must've been a dream." he told himself. He went out on deck and the crew was working as usual, following the instructions of the second-in-command. He nodded his approval to them all before returning to his cabin.

When he got in there, he was amazed to see Jack Sparrow, looking completely normal, sitting at his desk, doodling on a map.

"You again?" he asked.

"How did you sleep last night?" Jack countered.

"Horribly." Norrington admitted.

"Good." Jack nodded. Norrington shot him a dirty look. "So, you're looking for the Flying Dutchman?"

"Yes…"

"I can help you out there. You're going to make a deal with Davey Jones. You'll give him back his heart if he gives the Royal Navy control over the ocean, correct?" Jack asked.

"How do you know this?" Norrington asked suspiciously.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Jack repeated the words from the night before.

"Would you just go away?" Norrington pleaded, letting down his guard.

"I suppose. I do have other people to haunt." Jack concurred. "Well, you're doing a good job. On the right track and all."

And like that, he was gone.

"Now ghosts. Why is there always some new thing like this? Life just can't be normal. Not for me. Of course not. I should have been a blacksmith." Norrington grumbled, rubbing his temples.


End file.
